4 Stocks With Solid Shareholder Yield to Safeguard Your Portfolio

Core Insights - The article emphasizes the importance of shareholder yield as a metric for long-term investors, combining dividend yield, share buybacks, and net debt reduction to assess how effectively a company returns capital to shareholders [2][4][5] Shareholder Yield Components - Dividends provide a steady income stream and signal management's confidence in financial health, contributing significantly to total equity returns, especially in sideways or bear markets [3] - Share buybacks reduce share count, enhancing per-share metrics like earnings and cash flow, which is particularly beneficial in low-growth environments [3] - Debt reduction improves balance sheet strength, reducing default risk and enhancing resilience during economic downturns, benefiting investors through improved financial positioning [4] Investment Opportunities - Companies with high shareholder yield, such as RITHM Capital Corp (RITM), Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTSH), Lam Research (LRCX), and McKesson (MCK), are highlighted as attractive options for income and capital appreciation [4][10][13][15][18] - RITM offers a competitive dividend yield of approximately 8.92%, with a history of increasing dividends and reducing long-term debt from $27.19 billion in 2020 to $18.6 billion in 2024 [8][10] - Cognizant has a dividend yield of 1.64%, with a payout ratio of 26% and a focus on reducing long-term debt from $663 million in 2020 to $567 million in 2024 [12][13] - Lam Research provides a dividend yield of around 1%, with a payout ratio of 25% and a reduction in long-term debt from $4.97 billion in 2020 to $3.73 billion in 2024 [14][15] - McKesson has a dividend yield of approximately 0.39%, with a payout ratio of 9% and a reduction in long-term debt from $14.47 billion in 2021 to $10.06 billion in 2024 [17][18] Performance and Rankings - RITM currently holds a Zacks Rank 1 (Strong Buy) and a Zacks Value Score of 'B', indicating strong upside potential [11] - Cognizant has a Zacks Rank 2 (Buy) and a Zacks Value Score of 'B', suggesting solid prospects [13] - Lam Research carries a Zacks Rank of 2 and a Zacks Value Score of 'C', indicating good potential [16] - McKesson has a Zacks Rank 2 and a Zacks Value Score of 'A', implying strong prospects for the stock [19]